Changes
by leelee0474
Summary: What happens when things change during the Anson hunt? Mike, Fi, Sam, Maddie, Anson, Jesse...maybe others!
1. Chapter 1

A/N~Was going to be just a one shot based on the title Last Rites for episode 603...but it turned into what I'm presenting to you now...not sure where we are going, so hang on!

Thanks to Amanda, Noelle, Lena, & Ali for putting up with my bouncing ideas off you all the time.

* * *

Sam and Michael were sorting through files in the loft, trying to find any information as to where Anson could be hiding. They were having no luck and beginning to argue.

"Mike, there is no way he would hide there. It's too open, too obvious. He knows that he is a wanted man. He's going underground and that's where we need to focus."

"No. He's too egotistical to go underground. He wants to be seen. He's going to find a place, blend in and contact me again. I figure out where he's going to end up next and that's what is in these files."

Sam slammed his beer down and was going to protest more when Michael's cell phone rang. He didn't greet them. He simply started speaking.

"Whatever you have for me to do Pearce has to wait because I'm going through Anson's files that you had delivered to me."

Michael lets Pearce talk and then hands Sam his cell. Sam noticed how white Michael has become.

"Pearce, what's going on?" Sam asks.

"Short version is there was a fight in prison. Fiona was stabbed multiple times. They rushed her to the hospital. She needs major surgery. The doctor said that if she has any family or loved ones they need get to the hospital as soon as possible. I worked it out so Michael can stay with her until she's able to go back to the prison infirmary."

Sam took down the information he needed to get Mike to the hospital and onto the floor to see Fiona. He hung up the phone and handed it back to Michael.

"I'm sorry Mike. Let's go check on her. I'm sure once they fix the wounds she'll be fine. She's a fighter." Sam tried to be as positive as he could, but both Michael and Sam knew that when you are in prison, most injuries that land in you a regular hospital do not have a happy ending.

The ride to the hospital was a quiet ride. Sam took the keys and drove. Once at the hospital, they met Pearce in the lobby and she took them up to ICU.

"You guys can sit in the chairs over there. She's out of surgery and on the floor, but the doctors want her to rest since surgery was rough." Dani said.

Michael nodded his head and walked off.

Pearce stopped Sam for a moment. "Just so you are prepared, she received 5 stab wounds to her stomach and back. The missed all the organs, but she lost a lot of blood. Surgery did not go well. She coded on the table two times, but she came back. If she lasts the night Sam, it'll be a miracle. The doctor said that if you wanted to have a priest come and give Last Rites, it might be a good idea to do it soon."

"Jesus Dani. On top of this whole Anson debacle, we are adding Fiona's possible death to the mix?"

Dani continued "That's not the worst part. When you go in to see her, you'll see her face was badly beaten, bruised and cut. Her left arm is broken and so is her right leg. Several cracked ribs too. I saw her. She has tubes and she's on a respirator."

Sam rubbed his face with his hands. "So what the hell do we do now? He sees her and he is going to want Anson's blood more now more than ever."

"I have to bench him. Once he sees her in the bed, he's going to be insane with anger. If she dies, he will be nonfunctional. I've been there. You know I'm right." Pearce said.

"If you are benching him, then who is going to run the op? He's not going to let you turn this over to just anyone" Sam asked.

"I know. That's why I am handing that case over to you."

* * *

As Michael sat in the ICU waiting area, watching doctors and nurses walk back and forth. He heard felt his cell phone vibrate. Seeing the caller Id, he rushed out the ICU doors, with Sam and Pearce following.

"Anson now is not the best time."

Anson answered back with his usual icy tone "Fiona is in the hospital. I truly send my deepest sympathies. Maybe now you will stop your pursuit of me."

Michael's jaw immediately tensed. "If I find out you had anything to do with Fiona ending up in the hospital, you will..."

Sam snatched the phone from Michael's hand. "Anson, Sam Axe here. Mike is out of the game right now, so you are dealing with me. Let me tell you, you little psychotic psychiatrist that you are going to wish Mikey was still hunting you down because I have nothing to lose and frankly you have gotten me pissed off right now. So you better watch out because I am coming for you." Sam ended the phone call.

Michael was beyond furious. Grabbing Sam by the collar, he pushed him up against the wall. "What do you mean I am out of the game? Anson is mine. No one else gets him. I can handle this. I'm running this operation."

Sam pushed Michael into the wall and began to yell at him "You've been benched Mike. You are out of control. You can't even think clearly. If you were OK, you wouldn't be trying to be a one man army. You wouldn't be threatening Anson and you wouldn't be slamming me into walls. Your vendetta against Anson is over. Your job now is to take care of Fi!˝

Pearce was about to step in when the doctor emerged. Michael and Sam froze when they saw him.

"If you two don't stop fighting I am going to kick you all out and not update you on Ms Glenanne's condition." the doctor said with a gruff voice.

Sam let go of Michael's shoulders, but Michael still held onto Sam's shirt. "I want to see her." Michael said, in a barely audible voice. Sam figured the doctor didn't hear Michael so he asked "Yeah, when can he see her?"

"You can see her now, but I want you to be prepared. Her face is cut and swollen from the fight. Her left arm is broken and so is her right leg. We had to put her on a respirator to help her breathe. The surgery was touchy. She lost a lot of blood. Luckily they missed her vital organs."

The doctor would have continued but Sam interrupted and asked "What are her chances Doc?"

He was quiet for a moment. "If she makes it through the night, she has a decent chance of survival, but it will be a long recovery."

Sam knew Michael was focusing on the first part of the doctor's sentence 'If she makes it through the night'. He gently pushed Michael along, leaving behind Pearce to talk to her team.

"Come on Mikey let's go see our girl. She's alone and she needs you."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N...a little shorter than usual lately, but I hope its still good!

Again-thanks to everyone I harass asking for opinions before I post!

I don't know much about ICU, so I'm just kinda making it up as I go...

* * *

Michael and Sam followed the doctor to Fiona's ICU room. Michael noticed how white and clean everything looked. The the wall that connected to the door was entirely made of glass, so the nurses could see into all the rooms. Michael entered first, with Sam behind him. Michael stopped as soon as he entered the room. The nurse who was taking Fiona's vitals walked towards Michael, placed a hand on his shoulder and said "Sit down next to her. Hold her hand, talk to her and try to remain positive. She knows you are here."

Michael sat next to Fiona, holding her right hand in his, while gently caressing the top of her hand with his free hand. His eyes never left her face.

"Mike, I am so sorry. I..." Sam stuttered.

"Just go Sam. Get out of here."

Sam was confused. "Mike, I'm not going anywhere. You need anything, I'm here for you."

Michael got up and pulled Sam out into the hallway, away from the other patients. He began to shout at sam "I thought you were my brother, Sam. You know what bring Anson down meant to me. Anson started this fight when I got burned and I was to be the one to finish it. Not you Sam. This wasn't your fight. Anson was mine. You could have told Pearce that we could both have worked this op together. I could have handled things here and with Anson. I could have even had you work the field exclusively. Instead you screwed me over and you took everything for yourself. Don't come back. I don't need you."

Sam was heartbroken. He wanted to tell him he took over the operation for Michael's own safety. He didn't say anything because he knew Michael wouldn't hear him and trying to argue back would have led to a fist fight.

As Michael turned to leave, he saw Pearce coming towards them. Michael pointed at Pearce. "I do not want see you here either. Just work the job, clear Fiona's name and then I am done with you all. I can't believe you both you stab me in the back like this. This was my job to finish and you know that."

Pearce waited for Michael to Finish his rant. As he began to walk away, Pearce yelled after him "Besides the obvious reasons, do you know why else I am turning this over to Sam? I am giving you something I never got with my fiancée. I am giving you time. I would kill to be able to say goodbye to my fiancee but he died without me saying goodbye. To my dying day I will always hurt over that and I don't want to see you go through the same pain I went through."

Michael stormed off down the hallway. Sam called out to Michael but he didn't answer back. Sighing, Sam began to discuss what happened with the case so far and what he had in mind for the future.

Making his way to Fiona's room, Michael sat down in the chair, taking her hand again. He tried his best to keep his voice as happy as he could as he spoke. "I'm here Fi. Just get better for me, OK. I need you to get better. I promise I'm not leaving." As Michael looked at her badly battered face, he wished he could climb in bed with her and hold her until she woke up. He was so tired and knew she was too. He tried to speak to her again. "We are just going to rest together..." Michael voice hitched and he felt tears coming to his eyes. He stopped talking and brought her hand to his lips. He gave it a kiss and put her hand back on the bed. There was so much he wanted to say but he couldn't bring himself to say. Laying his head on her hand, he shut his eyes, praying that she would wake him up soon.

Sam watched Michael from the nurses station. He told one of the nurses that if his friend needed him during the night to call. He left his number on the counter and walked out of the ICU. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he dialed Maddie's number. "Maddie, its Sam. You need to get to the hospital. Fi was rushed here with stab wounds and other injuries. Mike's here alone. You might want to come sit with him in case he needs anything."


	3. Chapter 3

Maddie arrived at the hospital. Sam met her at the elevator and talked to her as they walked.

Maddie started off with a question. "How is it that Michael is able to sit with her? I figure if she is a prisoner, then they wouldn't want anyone there."

"Pearce pulled strings to allow Mikey to sit with her. It's ICU, so they figure Mike won't try and break her out of there." Sam told Maddie. He added "I have to warn you, he is in a pretty bad mood."

"Well, I would be too if Fiona was hurt this badly."

Sam stopped for a moment. "Maddie, I'm the cause of his bad mood. Besides Fiona being hurt. Pearce took him from the case and put me in charge. He's to go nowhere near the investigation. Mike thinks that I did this on purpose, to hurt him for some reason. So he flipped out and kicked Pearce and I out of his vicinity. He doesn't want to see either of us at all."

Maddie stopped walking and put her hand on her hips. "Sam, you know Michael. You didn't think he'd see this as a betrayal. Everything he's done since coming back to Miami has lead him to Anson. He's worked so hard to get where he is and now he thinks you guys pulled the rug from under him. Can't say I don't blame him for being angry."

"I did this for him. Fiona needs him by her bedside now more than ever. Its too tough to run the operation AND hold a bedside vigil. Frankly, I don't care if he understands it or not. I did it for his own good. If Fi dies and he wasn't there for her last moments, he would never forgive himself. I can't let him go through that." Sam reasoned. "If what Mike needs is to be mad at someone right now, I would rather it be me than anyone else in the world."

Maddie softened her tone. "You are a good friend Sam. Your right." With a pointed finger she poked at Sam's chest. "However, when this is done, you find a way to fix this with Michael. He needs you in his life."

Sam shook his head in agreement as they walked into the ICU together. Before they got to Fiona's room, Sam stopped her again. "I'm going to be here when I can. I'll just hang out where he can't see me, so if something happens when I'm here I can help. I think if he sees me, I'll just piss him off even more. If you need me, just call Mike's cell. I took it from him because Anson was calling him."

Before Maddie left Sam, she took his arm. "Sam, be careful. Fi's already in the hospital. I don't think Michael or I could handle having another loved one in here."

Maddie entered Fiona's room. Gently placing a hand on Michael's shoulder, she said his and felt him stir.

"Fi?" he called out. Michael jumped up and looked at Fiona's face, looking for any sign of her being awake. Maddie's heart broke as she saw how fast Michael jumped out of his seat, hearing so much hope in his voice.

"Just me. I thought you might need the company and help." Maddie said, giving her son a smile.

Michael looked at her with confusion on his face. "I didn't call you. How did you know where I was?"

He got up and gave his mother a hug. His eyes wandered out t the nurses station where he saw Sam looking back at him. Michael gave him a small smile that was returned.

"Sam told you I was here?" Michael asked.

"He did and he told me what happened between the two. You shouldn't be mad at him. I know it doesn't seem like it, but he does have your best interest at heart. He loves you."

Michael shot an angry look at Maddie that signaled she should drop the subject. Putting her hand on Fiona's left leg, she said in an overly loud and cheery voice "Fiona, I'm here with Michael. Don't worry about anything. You just rest and get better."

Maddie's tone softened as she looked over Fiona's broken body. "Is she in much pain?" Maddie asked. Seeing Michael's chin quiver, a frown come to his face and tears spring into his eyes, she quickly added "I am sure she is on plenty of pain medicine. She'll be OK."

Michael, swallowing a lump in his throat added "She has to be OK mom, because I don't know what I'd do without her."

Maddie gave her son a hug and guided him to the chair closest to Fiona. Seeing he was trying his best to control his emotions, she directed Michael. "You hold her hand and I'll talk to her. When you are ready, you jump into the conversation."

Michael shook his head and listened as Maddie started rambling about the poker game Fiona missed last week.

Sam watched Michael take Fiona's hand and heard Madeline chatting away. Figuring he could sit down and gather his thoughts, he heard the cell phone ring. Hearing the voice on the other side, Sam answered with a growl in his voice. "What do you want Anson?"

"Axe, I want to talk to Michael. Now be a good errand boy and go get him."

Sam started walking out of ICU so he wouldn't disturb the others. "I am going to explain this to you real slow. Until Fiona is better and out of the hospital, Michael is done with you. Now you are playing your creepy games with Sammy. I am not as nice as Michael. You've hurt my family and now I'm coming after you. You think Michael was bad when he's angry? Sam Axe is a hundred times worse than Mike Westen, so you better get ready." Sam heard Anson try to say more but Sam ended the call. Talking to himself he said "Anson Fullerton, you've messed with the wrong man."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N...I am deeply thankful for Amanda Hawthorne who helped me write this chapter. The Irish section was written by myself, but she translated to Irish for me! 33 As always, thanks for the reviews and alerts. I love you all & you all keep me going. Thanks for all my Twitter girls for giving me plot bunnies! I hope you like & I didn't over do it here...never been so nervous about a chapter before!

* * *

Michael slept off and on during the night, never leaving Fiona's side. Maddie was in and out of the room, occasionally sleeping in the waiting room, sometimes sleeping in a chair in Fiona 's room. She would keep her eyes closed so Michael would think she was asleep but she heard him talk about missions they shared and fun times spent together. About six in the morning, Maddie was dozing in the chair at the foot of Fiona's bed, when she heard someone speaking in an Irish brogue. She opened her eyes and saw Michael talking to her.

"Fiona, I have ta tell ya a secre'. Remembar tha nigh' in Dublin whe' I told ya I found someone wit' information tha' coul' help us wit' our job an' we had ta meet tham at Callaghan's Bar? Remembar how we waited all nigh' fer tham, thay never showed an' we go' so drunk we go' lost walking back ta yer flat? I lied ta ya I didn'tknow anyone who ha' information ta help us. All I know is thare wa' this beautiful Irish woman who I wanted ta be with so badly bu' I wa' too nervous ta ask ya ou' on a proper date. I was' terrified ya'd turn me down if I asked ya ou' fer dinner. So instead I created tha rouse ta ge' ya ta Callaghan's so we coul' spend a nigh' togethar, jus' tha two a us. We finally go' back ta yer flat an' made love all nigh' long. I know we ha' our bad times thare, bu' I always knew ya were tha one"

Michael's voice was getting shakier, but still maintained his Irish brogue. "Fiona, love, open yer eyes fer me. I need ya ta open tham. I know yer tired, bu' jus' look at me an' let me know yer okay. Open them...please? I need ya."

With those last words Michael uttered, his walls crumbled down. He leaned over to kiss her head, and his soft cries became sobs that came from a place deep inside. He buried his face in her pillow, his arm wrapped around her head. Maddie got up when she heard his sobs and put her hands on Michael.

The nurses, hearing him cry, rushed into Fiona 's room. "I'm sorry. You have to get him out of here. Both of them need to rest." They stood back as Maddie tried to get Michael to go with her.  
Michael, hearing the nurse talking, stood up and wiped his eyes. Looking at her, he said "I'm fine. I'll be fine. I'll be quiet."

Maddie knew the nurses were right, so she gently put her arm around Michael and pushed him towards the door. "Michael, she's right. We have to go."

"Let me say one more thing to her. I have to let her know I'll be back." Michael said to the nurse in the room.

He leaned over and kissed her head again. "I have to go now. The nurses want us to rest. I promise I'll be back. I'm sorry. I am so sorry." He stood up and walked out the door, with Maddie following him, trying to keep up. She found him by the elevator, pressing the button repeatedly.

"Pressing the button isn't going to make it come any faster." Maddie gently said. "Michael, where are you going?"

Michael's voice was loud and deep. "I have to go home. You heard the nurse, I lost control and I have to go. I messed up Mom."

As the got on the elevator, Maddie took Michael's hand in hers. "You can't keep it bottled up or else its going to come out at the worst times and take you away from her which will hurt you more. Just don't lose it too much in her room and you'll be ok. I do think going home to sleep is a good idea. Even if its for an hour or two."

As they exited the elevator, Maddie pulled out her car keys. "Why don't we go back to my house and you can rest there?"

Michael, too tired to fight his mom, nodded his head in agreement and followed her to the car. As they walked through the lobby, a doctor walked right into Michael. The two men stopped and looked at one another for a moment. The doctor stammered out an apology and was on his way.

Halfway to Maddie's car, Michael turned around and ran back into the hospital. He shouted "I have a bad feeling about Fi!" Maddie tried to chase after him, but he was too fast and she lost sight of him.

Michael got to the elevators and almost got into the same elevator as the doctor, but the doors were closing too fast. The doctor looked at Michael as the doors closed and smiled. Seeing the elevators were not coming fast enough, Michael found the stairs and ran up them. Even if the elevator was faster, he could at least arrive shortly after.

He arrived on the floor, running as fast as he could towards Fiona's room. The nurses all looked at him and as he stood at her bedside.

"We told you to leave. Don't make us call security!" the nurse hissed.

"Did anyone come in here?" he shouted.

"What?"

"You heard me! Did anyone come in here? Did a doctor come in here within the past few minutes." he screamed.

The nurse not trying to incite Michael anymore than he already was, nodded her head yes.

The nurse walked around the side of Fiona's bed that wasn't near the door. She began to write stats on her chart. "He said he was just checking on her for Doctor Monyo. Sometimes doctors will have other doctors check on their patients to make she they are..."

The nurse didn't get to finish her sentence. As she checked her vitals, Fionas heart monitor flat lined. Michael was quickly being pushed back by nurses and doctors that were flooding into the room. Maddie was holding onto Michael who was frantically yelling "Don't leave me Fiona, don't you leave me here alone. Fight back! I need you! I love you!"

Guards entered the room and both dragged Michael away from the horrible scene unfolding in front of him.

"Let me go! She needs me!" Michael shouted as he was dragged away. Sam, who witnessed everything, followed. He stopped the guards.

"Guys, let him go. I will keep him away for a bit. I promise. I'm a SEAL, I will beat the tar out of him if he even thinks of coming in. Just let him go or else he is going to get more agitated!"

The bigger guard of the two looked at Sam and told his partner to let Michael go. Pushing Mike towards Sam. He said "You stay out of ICU until you can control yourself."

As the guards left, Michael ran towards the doors again. Sam moved fast enough to get in front of him and block him.

"I can't let you in Mike, I'm sorry. Your mom is in there and the doctors are going to take care of Fiona. She'll be OK." Sam tried to reason with Michael.

"That guy I saw dressed like a doctor did something to Fiona and made her flat line. I am not leaving her. Out of my way Sam! She needs me. I need to be there with her!"

"Mike, I can't let you go. Trust me, it'll be OK. They'll figure out what's going on. " Sam tried to reason with Mike, hoping he could refocus.

The doctor who kicked Michael out of the room, found Sam and Michael verbally fighting. Maddie was right behind him. Her face was pale and her eyes were red. Seeing his mother like that, caused Michael fold his arms and close his eyes, hoping no one could see him right now.

"What's the good word doc?" Sam asked.

"Someone entered Miss Glenanne's room and made several deep slices in her side. She is on painkillers and in her comatose state, she didn't react. Whoever did it, rolled up blankets and pushed them against the wounds to hide blood loss. Her heart monitor went off when her heart slowed too much from the blood loss. We are taking her to surgery now to fix the damage. Mr Westen, between the stab wounds she came in with and he current wounds she has lost a lot of blood. We'll do our best."

The doctor left and Maddie followed him back into ICU. Michael felt his knees go weak, but Sam was there to catch him before he collapsed. Michael whispered "She's all I have"

Sam, managed to get Michael to a bench that was in the hall they were in. They sat down. Sam had no words to comfort Michael, who had hung his head down so his tears couldn't be seen. They sat in silence, with Sam occasionally patting Mike on the back. After a few minutes Sam felt the cell go off Recognizing the number, Sam walked away to answer, but Michael walked after him, asking over and over who it was.

"Did Michael like my friend's visit to Fiona? I really hope Michael enjoyed his handiwork."

Sam said in a low hissing voice "I told you to stay away from Michael and Fiona. You've done enough damage."

Anson cut him off. "My actions have not caused this damage. The bottom line is you need to tell the pretty little CIA and FBI operatives to stop hunting for me or else I will keep attacking Michael, Fiona and anyone else that means anything to them and you. So back off, let Fiona go back to jail and just move on. You are making life harder than it needs be."

"See you in hell buddy! " Sam shouted before hanging the phone up.

Michael's jaw was tense, his whole body rigid. "What he say Sam? You have to tell me."

Sam held his hand up to silence Michael and he dialed the cell. "Pearce, we got big problems. Anson sent someone in to kill Fiona. He cut her open, let her bleed out. She is back in surgery. Time to mobilize. I want extra protection for Fiona and Maddie. I want answers from everyone on the leads we have. This son of a bitch is toast."

"Mike, you have no idea how sorry I am that he is coming after you guys. I have only been on the job for a day..."

Tears fell fast from Michael's eyes. "I'm sorry I fought with you before but you have have to get him Sam. Promise me you will. She can't get hurt again and I can't go on without her. If you are my brother you will end this for me."

Sam felt his heart fall to the floor. Michael had such a look of panic and terror in his eyes that Sam knew if he didn't get Anson soon, Michael might lose his mind. "Hey, did you forget who I am Brother? I'm Sam Axe and like I told Anson, no one hurts my family and lives."  
Sam gave Mike a hug. "You'll be ok. Just find an empty room or closet and crash for a bit. Take my cell and set the alarm. You have to rest because Fiona needs you here to be strong for her. Plus, I don't think that even in a coma she wants to spend that much time with your mom."

Mike laughed. As Sam walked off, he turned around and shouted to Mike "You'll be ok too Mike. You and Fi are the stuff they write romance novels about and they always end happy!"

Michael sat down on bench and closed his eyes, quickly falling asleep and dreaming of Fiona.


	5. Chapter 5

Sam slammed his fist on the table. "You mean to tell me that after watching all the footage of the hospital security tapes, we STILL can't get a clear shot of the guy? Are you sure the guys watching the tapes are trained agents and not monkeys?"

Pearce had been updating Sam on where they were with finding Fiona's attacker and progress on bringing down Anson. Sam was getting more and more agitated as the meeting went on. "Calm down Sam. We are doing the best we can. The footage is lousy at best and Michael collided with the attacker at an odd angle so we only have a partial face to match up. It's going to take time. Even if we figure who this guy is, it still doesn't prove Fiona's innocence." Pearce tried to reason with Sam. However, she was learning he was harder to deal with than Michael.

"How's the investigation into Fi's case going? Are they done with checking bomb signatures?" Sam was throwing questions out at a rapid pace.

Pearce was growing frustrated. "All of this takes time. All of the information we have from you and Michael will have to be investigated. You know how long this all takes to investigate. The results will either free or convict her." She softened her tone. "I know how hard it is to be patient when Michael's falling apart. Focus on finding Anson. Bring him into custody alive and maybe we can get him to talk. No matter what happens, we need more evidence. Next time he calls you, try and draw out the conversations more. The longer he talks..."

"The looser his lips will get. I hear ya. How are we on getting extra protection for them?" Sam asked.

"I have extra protection in place for Michael's mom. I had to call in some major favors and make a lot of deals just to get Michael to be allowed in Fiona's room. If I ask for more people on her, they'll bar anyone, including Michael, from seeing her. I think in his present mental state that would be a mistake." Pearce said.

Pearce and Sam reviewed some information in a file that she had on her desk. About ten minutes into their work, there was a knock on the door.

"Agent Pearce, we traced the call Mr. Axe received and its coming from an abandoned office complex in Coral Gables. I have the coordinates for you and the floor plans you'll need." the young agent said as he laid out the plans for Pearce.

"Sam, do you feel like commanding a team and do some Anson hunting?" Pearce asked.

Sam smiled. "You know I do! I'm bringing Jesse on this one." Sam saw Pearce's face turn cloudy. "I need someone on the team that I know and that I trust. Mikey is out right now, Fi is in surgery, so that leaves Jesse."

"Fine, but he's your responsibility. No cowboy stuff. If Anson is there, grab him and bring him back here."

Sam left Pearce's office and quickly called Jesse. "Jesse, drop what you are doing. We might have a lead on Anson and I need your help."

* * *

Maddie had fallen asleep in the waiting room. Fiona had been in surgery for almost four hours to repair the damage caused by Anson's henchman. The nurse began to gently shake her awake. "Mrs. Westen, Fiona is out of surgery. She's back in her room now. If you want to go sit with her you can."

"Thank you. Have you seen my son? Last time I saw him he was in the hallway." Maddie asked.

"He's still there. He's actually been sleeping in one of the chairs in the hall. Do you want me to wake him?""

"If Fiona isn't in any danger right now, could we let him sleep a little longer?" Maddie questioned.

"She's stable and we are watching her condition closely. I think if we wait a hour before we get him, she'll be fine."

Maddie thanked the nurse for her kindness and went into Fiona's room. Once inside, she gave Fiona a kiss on the forehead and sat down next to her. Taking her right hand, she patted it and began to massage it. "Fiona, its Maddie. I'm here with you while Michael takes a little break. You just rest and get better. Sam's off working on getting you free from jail. It's going to be ok."

For a few moments Maddie was quiet. She watched the monitors and she rubbed Fiona's arm. "You must have been a handful for your mother. I know you are a handful for me. I always worry about you because you have a special place in my heart. You do. You aren't just the girl who found Michael in Miami. You aren't just the girl who puts up with his crazy quests and keeps him grounded. Do you know what else you are? You are my daughter. I remember the day when you had a terrible fever and you didn't want Michael to know you were sick, so I took you to the doctor, we got you medicine and you slept on my couch the whole day. I guess it was your high fever, but you called me mom a few times. I loved that and I love you. I know I can't replace your mom back in Ireland, but I hope I'm doing a good job of taking care of you here. Do you know what else? A mother knows when her kids are innocent. You might be an expert in explosives, but I know you didn't blow a building up with two guards inside intentionally. That's not you. That's my girl. If you knew they were in there, you would have gotten the guards and anyone else out that was innocent and then blown up the building. I know you have a heart of gold and I don't care what anyone else says. Michael wouldn't love you as much as he does if you had a black heart. So, you need to get better because Michael needs you..." Maddie's eyes filled with tears as she whispered "and I need you too little girl."


	6. Chapter 6

As always, thanks to Amanda for reading as well as InvisibleRainX. Thanks so much for all the reviews & alerts! I appreciate all of them!

* * *

Sam and Jesse sat in the Charger. Jesse was using a pair of heat sensing goggles to detect any movement in the building. "This is an awesome toy. Mike has to get us one of these."

"From what Pearce said, this toy will cost more than us, our kids and our grandkids would ever make in their lifetime. Any movement inside?"

Jesse took a moment to do another quick scan with the goggles. "Nothing at all Sam. You sure that guy gave you the right address?"

Sam hit the steering wheel of the Charger. "That little weasel better be in there or else I'm going to kill someone."

"Chill out. The other teams are have ten more minutes until they report back to us. Give them a chance to check out their areas too. While we are waiting, I wanted to ask about Mike and Fi. How's he taking all this? I feel bad because I didn't get to call him or stop by the hospital. Work's been insane lately."

"Don't worry about it. He's so exhausted that he probably hasn't even noticed you haven't been around. He's so tired that in one breath he's cursing me for taking over finding Anson and in the next breath he's begging me to kill Anson because he can't leave Fi. If you showed up, I'm sure he'd find something to hate you for too."

Jesse paused for a moment, almost afraid to ask the next obvious question. "How's Fi?"

"I checked before you came to the CIA building. She was still in surgery. This monster stabbed her in the side several times and rolled up blankets to slow her bloodloss just enough to make it a slow death for Fiona. Luckily the monitors caught her slowing heart rate. Bad part is that she flatlined and Michael was in the room." Sam explained.

"Oh man. That's hard..."

Jesse was going to say more, but a call came over the walkie-talkie. "We have visual on the east side of the building."

"That's us." Jesse said. They grabbed their gear and ran up to the building.

"I want all units in place covering exit points. If he leaves, grab him but we want him alive." Sam shouted into his walkie-talkie. "Team 2 enter, and stay on the bottom level. Team 3 enter and proceed to the upper level. Team 4, split and cover top and bottom."

Sam looked at Jesse, took a deep breath and said "Let's roll!"

Roll they did. They went from room to room, yelling 'clear' when they found an empty room. When Sam and Jesse were upstairs they were talking in the hallway about a different approach in case he was running out of one room when they ran into another, they heard the sound of a gunshot going off and the air breaking as a bullet whizzed past the two of them. Both men looked down the hallway and saw Anson.

Jesse booked down the hallway, weaving back and forth, hoping Anson would have trouble shooting if he ran that way. He ran but Jesse caught up to him and tackled him to the ground. He immediately punched Jesse in the ear, stunning him for a moment. Anson got up and Jesse ran after him..

Sam, who was closer to him now, ducked low and plowed him into the wall. Anson let out a loud groan, but managed to bring his fists down into Sam's back. The two men oblivious to the stairs next to them, stepped the wrong way and tumbled down. Once on the landing, Anson was greeted with several guns to his face.

As the other team members cuffed Anson and Jesse helped Sam to his feet. "For an old man, you took him down pretty good."

Sam grimaced at Jesse. "That's why I always eat more than yogurt at breakfast. I have keep in shape to save you kids from insane lunatics."

Sam walked out to meet the team and saw that Pearce had arrived to take Anson into custody. "From what the other teams found, he had been hiding here for a while. Once he had several agencies chase him, everything unraveled and he hid here."

"So Fi is a free woman then?" Jesse asked.

"I wish it was that easy. Anson has to be interrogated, all the evidence has to be processed and if he has any other hiding places, we have to search those as well." Sam said with a sigh. "It could be a few weeks to a few months until we get this all sorted out."

"What if Fiona opens her eyes up today and she's fine, like Mike was after I shot him."

"Jesse, if she opens her eyes today, she's looking at weeks of recovery and rehab. After all the surgeries and blood loss, the doctors will probably keep her in a bit longer for observation. If, and this is a big if, she goes back to prison, she'll either be in the infirmary or isolation for her own protection." explained Pearce.

"Sam, you should tell Michael we got Anson. I know he doesn't want me anywhere near the hospital and I don't want to anger him. Jesse, stay here and help the team I'm sure they could use an extra help in sifting through stuff."

Pearce stayed behind with Jesse for a few more moments, directing Jesse and the other team leader. Sam got back in the car and headed off to the hospital, hoping he'd fine everyone in one piece.

****


	7. Chapter 7

At the hospital, Sam saw Michael sleeping in a chair in the waiting room. He had stubble on his face and looked uncomfortable. Instead of waking him, he went to Fiona's room.

"Sam! What are you doing here?" Maddie asked.

"I wanted to see how Fiona was and to tell you guys that we caught Anson." Sam said quickly.

"It's about time that snake was caught. So now what? Fiona is free?"

"Not quite Maddie. He has to be questioned, processed and evidence needs to be gathered. Pearce said it could be a few weeks to months before we sort this all out."

Maddie shook her head. "I hope for Michael and Fi's sake it's sooner. I don't know how much more he can take." Getting up from her chair, she touched Fiona's cheek. "Would you mind sitting with her while I get something to eat?"

"Sure. You might want to look at Mike. I think he's looking worse than when I saw him last time."  
Sam said as he pulled sat down in the chair Maddie had been occupying.

After a few minutes of watching Fiona's face for any movement or sign to let him know she was still in there, he began to talk to her.

"What the hell did we get did get into Tinkerbell? You know, when you wanted to turn yourself in, I was all for it because I thought it would have stopped Anson from hurting Mikey, but our little plan made everything worse. You being in prison for so long and now laid up in this damn hospital bed hurt Mikey more than Anson ever could."

Sam patted her hand, trying not to cry. "I've tried so hard to carry him through all of this, but I need you. Bet you never thought you'd hear me say those words. You have no idea how much he needs you. The littlest things he depends on you for and you always had a way of calming him and centering him better than I ever could."

Trying hard to swallow the lump in his throat, Sam continued. "This is going to sound crazy, but I'm missing you too. I haven't been picked on in months. Sure Jesse tries to get a jab in, but it's not the same."

"Dammit Fiona wake up! Enough is enough. I'm tired of this. Anson is captured and its just a matter of time before you are free. I need my sister back. So open your eyes and let's work on getting you better." Sam shouted, hoping anger would make Fiona wake up. Realizing he was making a scene, he lowered his voice. "Just get better so we can end this nightmare for Mikey."

Sam didn't hear Michael walk into the room. "Sam, did you just say that they have Anson? Did you get him?"  
Sam wiped his face with his hands. "Caught the bastard this morning. Pearce had some guys take him away for interrogation. Jesse stayed behind to help gather evidence, but he wants to come by when he's done."

"I'd like that. Are we sure we got him?" Michael asked.

Sam stood up and flexed his muscles, making Mike smile. "I was the one who slammed him into a wall and then fell down a flight of metal stairs. Jesse was the wuss who got punched in the ear and let him up before the team got to us. Old Man Axe had to pull a football move just to knock the wind out Anson."

Sam saw Michael's eyes drift over to Fiona and the smile fade from his face. "How's Sleeping Beauty? Doctors say when she might wake up?"

"Starting tomorrow they are going to start lessening her meds so she can wake up. They can't take her off the ventilator until she's less medicated. Then they will see if she can breath on her own and what her brain function is like."

MIchael's voice began to break. "I just want her back. I don't care if there is brain damage or if she can't do what she used to do, I just want to look into her eyes again. I want to hold her and hear her voice. I can't do that."

"Mike she's going to be fine. Anson's locked up, so no more bad guys are coming after her. She'll be free in time and then we can all go back to our happy little world fighting the bad guys. Have faith brother."

"What if I'm losing faith Sam? What if I don't get her back? Nothing will be the same." Michael said.

"I'll have to have faith for the both of us." Sam answered. He would have said more, but his phone rang. He stepped out into hallway so he wouldn't bother Michael. "Mikey, when your Mom gets back, we have to go to CIA headquarters."

Michael cut him off. "Sam, I'm not leaving Fi. I'm not going near the CIA especially since they were the ones who took me off this job."

"What if I told you Anson wants to talk to you and only you. I'll stay with Fiona to make sure no one hurts her. Don't just don't let him into your head. Be that hard nosed kid I met all those years ago when you met a certain handsome Navy Seal who had his own playbook."

Michael nodded in agreement. "Mom's in the cafeteria. Give me a minute with Fi." Once Sam left, Michael sat down next to Fiona and took her hand. "Sam got him Fi. He did what I couldn't do, brought down Anson Fullerton. I know you wouldn't want me to talk to Anson, but I have talk to the Devil one last time. If I don't, I'm afraid they won't get him to talk and give enough information to free you. You rest. Sam and Mom will be here with you. I swear I'll come back when I'm done. Just don't go anywhere without me."

Michael kissed Fiona's head and left, hoping that Anson could clear Fiona's name and not just make things worse.  
**  
**


	8. Chapter 8

Michael walked into Pearce's office. He found Pearce sitting at her desk with her boss who was looking at a file with her. "Sam said you wanted me to talk to Anson."

"Nice to see you too Michael. You've always been so good with small talk. Anyway, Anson won't talk to anyone and he keeps asking to speak with you. Everyone we send in, he tries to turn it into a counseling session. We need you to get in there and get the information we need." Pearce explained.

Michael took a moment to choose his words carefully. "If I get enough evidence from him that clears Fiona, she'll be released from custody as soon as possible?"

Pearce's boss, Paul McGuire, was a tall man in his fifties. He leaned across the desk and told Michael "We'll free Fiona if you can get him to admit that he was behind it all. That's the deal we are offering. Take it or leave it."

"I'll take your offer but I have one condition. When I get Anson to admit he was behind framing Fiona, I'm done and I am retiring."

Pearce sat at her desk with a smirk on her face. She knew exactly what Michael was doing.

Her boss was taking a moment to consider Michael's offer. "Fine. You get him to confess to that and you have a deal. Dani will fill you in on what we have so far, I'm going to watch the interrogation from the next room. Don't be too long. I want to get this over with."

Michael waited for her boss to leave. "HE wants to get this over with?"

"Michael calm down. He's just looking to get to the bottom of this case as fast as he can and get a conviction. He doesn't care about feelings." Pearce leaned back in her chair. "I like how you wrangled that deal with McGuire."

"I don't know what you mean. I just wanted to make sure my objective was clear to me before I got into the room."

"Call it what you want Westen. Just do me a favor and try not to beat Fullerton up too badly. I'll still need him when you leave."

Michael and Dani both got up, Michael heading into the observation room before talking to Anson.

"Michael, do you think..." McGuire began to ask a question but Michael shut him up.

"Pearce, I want the keys to uncuff him."

Pearce was shocked at his request. "Westen, you are nuts. We are not going to uncuff him. Did you forget everything he's done?"

Michael explained his reasoning. "If I uncuff him, it will level the playing field. It will be easier to talk with him. Our meetings have almost never turned violent and he's not going to try to fight me in a CIA interrogation room.

Pearce knew he was right. "Get the keys from the guard outside the door. Anything goes wrong or you feel threatened, you get out."

Michael got the keys as he was instructed. Taking a deep breath, he walked inside the small gray room.

"Michael, you look awful. Have you been sleeping? How's Fiona?" Anson asked. Michael wanted to grab the guard's gun and shoot Anson between his beady little eyes, but instead he took a deep breath and unlocked his handcuffs. Anson rubbed his wrists.

On the other side of the glass, Pearce and McGuire watched Michael interrogate Anson. At one point, it did get heated with Michael and Anson shouting at one another.

"I'm going in." McGuire announced.

"Like hell you are. Michael knows what he's doing. Anson isn't just someone you interrogate over and over until you find the smallest inconsistency in his statements and then exploit them. You have to dance with Anson. Sometimes you lead, sometimes he leads. Michael will draw him back in."

Draw him back in was the next thing Michael did. "Why do you hate Fiona so much?"

"Hate is such a strong world Michael. I prefer to think of it as a agreeable animosity we have towards each other." Anson said with a smile. "Fiona has been nothing but a thorn in my side since you were burned. I had an associate call her to tell her where to find you. I thought she'd make your life miserable and you'd be done with her. Sam and Jesse have been a moral compass for you at times, but not as much as Fiona turned out to be. She just wouldn't let go of you , so I had to make her a casualty of your blind pursuit of me so I could get you to work for me."

Michael felt his blood boil as Anson talked. "Fiona was the one person who was constantly your voice of reason. She was the proverbial angel on your shoulder. Or is she just an angel now? A body can only handle so much stress before it gives out."

Inside Michael wanted to cry, scream and beat him to death. Instead, he kept his cold, solid exterior intact and asked "So, Fiona was the one person who if she out of the way, you thought I'd do your bidding?"

"Yes. Once I got Fiona on tape admitting she killed those two guards, I knew I could get you to do anything. When I planted those explosives, I knew Fiona would have been there backing you up and knowing Fiona, I figured she'd bring an explosive or two to take down Larry for good. It just worked out perfectly that she planted her own little tiny pathetic device to maim him and when she hit her switch, I hit mine. The plan worked perfectly. She was crying to you in the loft and I had my perfect tape to blackmail for the two of you. If only you had joined Management when we wanted you to, none of this would have happened. Fiona wouldn't be on her deathbed and you wouldn't be the emotional wreck you are right now."

Anson paused and leaned on the table. "I've never seen your eyes so red and swollen. I must say though, I didn't peg you as someone who cried often, if at all. While he was beating you and your family, Frank must have taught you that men don't cry"

Michael stood up and pushed his chair under the table. Smiling, Michael grabbed Anson's hands and handcuffed them again. As he cuffed him, Michael simply said "My father also taught me that you can only fight so much before you have to walk away. I'm done. You just aren't worth it anymore. Have a nice life in hell Anson."

Michael opened the door, handed the guard the keys and walked off. Pearce and McGuire ran out of the observation room.

"Where the hell do you think you are going? Get back in there and finish the interrogation. This man is wanted for more than framing your girlfriend." McGuire shouted.

Michael turned around and stormed back, shouting "I told you that I would get a confession that he framed Fiona and then I was done. You agreed and that you would free Fiona. I got the confession. I am done. Nothing else was discussed. So regarding Anson's past activities up until he ruined my life, you need to get someone else in here."

Michael took his ID and handed it to Pearce. "Thank you for getting me the time with Fiona."

Pearce nodded and as Michael walked off she said "I'll be in touch."

Looking over at McGuire, she said. "You made the deal with him and I will back him up 100% if you try to say otherwise. Close your mouth, you are going to catch flies if you aren't careful."

Pearce headed into interrogation to talk to Anson, leaving her stunned superior in the hallway.


	9. Chapter 9

Four hours after Michael left Fiona's side, he returned. Maddie and Sam were laughing about a story he was telling them. "Mikey! I thought I might have to swing by the CIA and rescue you if we didn't hear anything in the next hour. How did it go?"

Maddie moved out of the way, allowing Michael to get closer to Fiona. He kissed her head and whispered "Come back to me, we're free."

Sam and Maddie stood by watching Michael whisper a few other things to Fi. When he was done, he sat down and said with a big, triumphant smile "I got him to admit he burned me, planted the bombs and framed Fiona. I made a deal that if I get the information to free Fiona, charges will be dropped and I'll retire from the agency."

Both Sam and Maddie's eyes grew wide. "Mike you finally got back in and now you want to retire? I'm glad my favorite Irish pain-in-the-neck will be free soon, but your job..."

Michael interrupted. His voice and tone changed from soft to loud and excited. "The job is why Fiona went to jail. The job is why she's in ICU and got stabbed while in ICU. Everything that happened to her since I came back to Miami is my fault. She deserves someone who isn't a slave to a job. I'm not going to let her go, so I have to let the job go. The longer I'm with the agency, the more enemies..."

Sam held up his hands, signaling Michael to calm down. "I got it Brother. I'm going to get something to get some coffee. I'll be back later and I'll take Maddie home so she can rest."

Michael and his mom sat in silence for a moment. Maddie had enough of the beeping machines and broached a topic that had been on her mind. "You know, I heard you talking to Fiona in an Irish accent before. It was nice. It's a side of you that I never saw. You keep that side so guarded. It was so tender and romantic. You were really afraid to ask her out to dinner?"

"When I first met her, I saw her in a pub and I asked if she would dance with me. She pulled a gun on me, but I managed to get that dance. Her brothers were all glaring at us, but I didn't care. I had the most beautiful, sweet, funny and sexiest woman in the whole pub dancing with me and I didn't care what they thought. When I looked in her eyes, we were the only two people there. Nothing and no one else mattered. It was just 'us'. We danced all night long. The owner kicked us out because he wanted to go home. I walked her back to her flat and kissed her goodnight. I remember how she smelled, the outfit, how she felt in my arms...she was perfection."

Maddie smiled. She noticed how happy Michael was talking about his past in Ireland with her. "She still is Michael. You got her to dance, why was a dinner date so difficult?"

"Dancing is easy. We didn't have to talk. She is so beautiful that I never thought in a million years she would want to be with someone like me. I can bring down the toughest masterminds, male or female, in the world but when I have to ask a woman out on a date, I'm useless."

Maddie laughed. "Were you guys happy? I know you said you weren't but whenever you talk about Ireland, you look happy, smile and even laugh."

"We fought a lot. Everything seemed to be a fight with her. I don't know if it makes sense, but as much as we fought I loved her more than anyone else I've ever been with. When it was good, it was amazing. She always could make me smile, even during the worst moments of any mission we were on."

Michael paused for a moment, raising Fiona's hand to his lips and kissing it gently. "Leaving her in the middle of the night was the hardest thing I ever had to do. She has no idea how much I loved her. It killed me to leave her. I thought about her everyday since I left her. I was so happy when she said she was staying in Miami with me."

Maddie could tell Michael was starting to struggle. She pulled her chair close to his and rubbed his back. "She knows you love her more than anything or anyone in this world. When she wakes up you tell that girl how much you love her because she has been through hell for you and she needs to hear it from you."

"I will. She's my first priority from now on." Michael said, giving Maddie a tired but happy smile.

* * *

Pearce finally had made it back to her office. Happy for a few minutes alone, she sat down at her computer to check her emails.

"Pearce, we need to talk." Sam said as he barged into her office.

"Sam, good to see you. By the way, we are done. You and Jesse took Anson down, Michael interrogated him and Jesse found proof about all his plans-past and future. There is nothing else to discuss."

Sam sat down. "There's plenty to discuss. Mikey said he's retiring. I want to work out a package for him. He has no clue about this stuff. He just wants out as fast as he can."

"He'll get a standard package with healthcare."

"No no no, sister. The agencies have put that boy through hell. I've known him for over twenty years and he has done everything any agency asked him to do. The least the government could do is provide for him a little bit better than the standard retirement package." Sam insisted.

Pearce studied Sam for a moment. Seeing that he was serious, she got up and locked her office door. Drawing the shades she said. "I agree. We owe Michael more than just standard packages. I know you got your own package, let's hear what you have in mind for Michael."


	10. Chapter 10

Three days after Michael interrogated Anson, Fiona was removed from the ventilator. The doctors all felt that she was responding to their pain tests appropriately, so it was now just a matter of time before her body let her wake up. Once she was off the ventilator she was moved into a step-down unit. Michael was by her side, only leaving when Sam forced him to go home to shower and nap for two or three hours.

Finally after being in the step-down unit for three days, Sam was getting agitated. Michael was exhausted both mentally and physically. He knew he had to step in and try to rouse Fiona.

"Mike, did Sleeping Beauty ever tell you about the Libyan arms deal that I messed up for her?"

"No. I asked her about it a few times, but she always got mad when I did, so just dropped the subject. All I know is you busted in and ruined the deal and she lost a lot of money." Mike said.

"Well, let me tell you my side. I got orders that I was to stop an arms deal between this Libyan guy and another party but we couldn't figure out who the other side was. I managed to get a jump on one of their negotiation meetings and saw this short little girl dealing with these big guys. She got mad and put a knife into the hand of the bad guy's henchmen. He was going for a gun and she got mad and just stuck his hand right to the table. She did it with a smile, which I found pretty disturbing. So I split my team up-half follows her, half follows the bad guy. Turns out the girl was trying to sell the Libyan millions in weapons. I didn't even know how someone so little could carry so much weaponry!"

Michael laughed. "How did you know it was Fi? I never showed you a picture of her."

Sam sighed. "All those nights I sat with you at the bar, you would always talk about Fiona. Every night I got the same description of her. Kinda stuck in my head. Then when I realized that Fi was the other party, I knew I had to break up the arms deal. If this crazy Irish girl was the one that you were in love with, I couldn't send her to jail. So I ended up getting a large sum of money from Uncle Sam and I managed to broker a back door deal, squeezing Fiona out. Government didn't care about Fiona as long as we got the Libyan guy. I don't think Tinkerbell realizes how much trouble she would have been in if I let the deal go through and then busted them. She should be thanking me that I busted the deal up when I did."

"Never will Sam..."

Both men became silent and looked at Fiona. Her eyes were half open and she was reaching for Michael who was leapt from his chair when he heard her speak.

"I'll go get the nurse." Sam said as he ran out the door.

"Michael...where am I?" she asked slowly, tears coming to her eyes.

Michael kissed her cheek and said with a soft shaky voice. "You got hurt really bad in a prison fight and they had to bring you to the hospital for surgery. You've had a few surgeries since you've been here."

The nurse and doctor came in and made Michael move aside. Sam stood next to Michael, who watched her like a hawk. The doctor did a quick exam of her reflexes and reactions to stimuli and found her to be in good condition. Next he asked her simple questions, like her birthday and people in the room. When the doctor was done, he advised she was in satisfactory condition and responding well. He wanted to do some memory testing and physical tests to make sure she was ok. For now though, she just needed to rest.

"Mike, I'm going to call Maddie and tell her our girl is back. You want coffee?" Michael nodded and watched Sam walk out the door.

"Michael, what happened? I have a cast on my arm, my leg and I hurt everywhere. I feel like I got hit by a truck." She asked. Michael sat on the edge of her bed and cupped her left cheek in his hand. She kissed his hand, which made him smile.

Michael took a deep breath and started slowly, hoping to maintain his composure. "You were in a fight in prison. They broke your left arm and right leg, your face was so bruised and cut. You were stabbed five times in the stomach and back. You flatlined twice during surgery and lost a lot of blood. There's more. Do you want me to stop?"

Seeing Michael's composure starting to crumble, Fiona thought about having him stop there. After a moment she decided that she wanted to know the rest of what Michael had to say. She took hold of his hand and rubbed her thumb against his hand. "Tell me. Its over and done. I'm here but I think I should know what happened."

Michael nodded and continued. "Anson managed to get a guy dressed as a doctor to come in here and try to kill you. He stabbed you a few times and then rolled up a blanket, tucking it against the wounds so you'd bleed out slowly." He stopped, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You would have bleed to death if the monitors didn't go off. You had another surgery to repair the stab wounds."

Fiona let a single 'Oh' escape from her lips. Seeing Michael was struggling with his story, she pulled him into a hug with her right arm.

He began to cry "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I love you so much and I should have kept you safer. I didn't try hard enough for you. Its all my fault."

She kissed his face, telling him over and over "Its ok." Soon his cries turned into sobs, feeling part relief that Fi was ok, and part guilt that this had even happened to the woman he loved.

Sam walked in a few minutes later, seeing Michael curled up on the bed next to her, fast asleep. "You want me to wake him?"

Fiona smiled and said "No. I'm fine. He's exhausted and needs the rest. I'm sure the nurses will wake him up."

Sam smiled. "I'll leave you kids alone." He walked to the door, but turned around and said "Oh, in case I didn't say it before, welcome back sis!"

"Thank you brother." She replied. Fiona smiled and gave Michael another kiss as she played with his hair, eventually falling asleep herself.


	11. Chapter 11

It was dark when Michael woke up. He looked over at Fiona who greeted him by saying "Nice of you to join me."

Michael put his hand to her face, ghosting his fingers over her features, making sure Fiona was really there. "How long have I been asleep?"

"A few hours. Sam and your mother came by. You slept right through them. You didn't even move. The nurse was going to make you move, but Sam started yelling at her and she ran out crying."

Michael stood up and rubbed his face. Looking at Fiona he asked "How are you?"

"Tired and achy. How are you?" Fiona closed her eyes waiting for his answer.

"I'm better." Michael answered, giving Fiona a gentle kiss on her lips. "Do you feel up to talking?"

"Michael, if its about Anson, I am too tired."

Michael shook his head. "Its not about Anson. Its everything. I need to talk to you about everything, because the one thing this whole debacle has shown me is that I never told you from start to end how I feel. I just...hate...that it took nearly losing you to prison and death to make me realize you never heard certain things from me."

"It's OK. We're no good at this Michael. I love you too and I know how you feel by your actions."

"No Fi, there are things you need to know." Michael saw a worried look fall across her face. He sat down on her bed and kissed her. "These are all good things, don't worry."

"I don't know if Sam or Mom told you, but you are free. Sam and Jesse brought Anson down. I spent three hours interrogating him and he gave the CIA enough information to clear your name. Part of the the deal was that I refused to even talk to Anson until I got them to promise me your freedom."

Fiona was afraid to find out the other half of Michael's deal. In a soft quiet voice, she asked "What was the other part of the deal?"

"I retired. Right now its unofficial but I have to meet with Pearce eventually and she'll make me sign papers to make it formal." Michael noticed Fiona's stunned look.

She was going to talk but instead he leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the lips again. He took her tiny face in his hands, being careful not to pull on her wires and looked into her eyes. "I always took your presence for granted, even when you moved in with me. I never made you my number one priority until you went to prison. It took prison and nearly having you die several times in here to make me realize that. You are the most important person, my best friend and the one person that I love the most. I never want to treat you so badly again. I don't know how you put up with me for this long."

Fiona smiled at Michael. He loved her smile. "I wasn't always second. There were moments where we were alone and it was just the two of us. No trying to find out who burned you, no jobs, no Anson, it was just us. They could have been the tiniest moments, like when we would just sit quietly on the patio at the loft, you holding me while I would read a magazine. I cherish those memories."

"You deserve more than just a moment here or there between jobs. Even if I have to take a regular job, I'll do it because I love you." Michael explained.

Fiona asked the question that had been on her mind since Michael said he was retiring. "Are you sure you want to retire? All that work we did to get you unburned and are you just going to forget about that and move on?"

"I got what I thought I wanted but turns out that it wasn't I wanted at all. All I want is you. I should have seen it from the start. I'm going to spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

Fiona smiled. "I'm happy you are retiring. We'll be ok. We can take jobs like we used to, or you could get a cushy security job like Jesse."

"I called him to tell him you were awake. We got talking and he said he'd get me an interview when I'm ready."

Their talk was cut short by a nurse who came in to check Fiona's vitals and reactions to light and pain. The check took a few minutes so Michael stood and looked out the window of her room, watching the nurse in the reflection of the glass.

After she left, they were both quiet for a few minutes, Michael looking out the window and Fiona briefly closing her eyes. She opened them a few minutes later, asking "Did I hear Michael McBride when I was in my coma? You told me a story."

Michael smiled and said in his best Michael McBride voice he could muster being at the time, "That I did."

Fiona took a moment and then her eyes lit up. In a surprised tone she continued "You were afraid to ask me out on a date. You tricked me into going to a meeting so we could be alone for a bit and you got me drunk just so you could have your way with me!"

"In my defense, you were the one who kept making me do shots with the beers we were drinking and that's why we got drunk. I wasn't responsible for anything after we were drinking." Michael smiled at Fiona and they both laughed.

Michael's voice softened. "I never thought that staying with you one night would have led to me wanting to spend the rest of my life with you."

Fiona's breathing quickened. "The rest of your life?"

Michael didn't give her a chance to continue. "Do you know how hard it was to leave you in Ireland in the middle of the night? That broke my heart. I came to America and I tortured poor Sam with stories left and right about you, telling him how beautiful, funny and sweet you were. I want you to know that I never got over you. I think that's why I worked so hard, taking any assignment that was offered-I just wanted to stop thinking of you. I wanted the pain to just go away. It never worked though. I thought about you from the moment I woke up until I went to bed."

Michael was now pacing around the room. "You were the first person I saw in Miami. I was so happy to see you but terrified because we hadn't talked since I left. No matter how hard I pushed you away, you stayed by my side and you deserve more than me just going off on missions and leaving you for months alone at a time. You deserve me home every night, the house, the white picket fence...kids. You deserve a lot better than what I've given you up until now."

Fiona knew she had to center Michael, bring him back to earth. "Michael, look at me. Everything we've had up until An...a few months ago...has been fine. I've been happy. Even if we live in the loft for the rest of our lives, I would be happy because you are with me. I don't need all those things you said."

Michael sat down on Fiona's bed. "I know you don't need them, but I want to give them to you." He pulled out a ring box. Fiona looked at it and looked at him.

"Open it." was all Michael said.

Inside the box was a ring, a perfect solitaire Asscher stone. "I want you to be with me always and I want to give you better than what you've had with me. You have no idea how terrible I feel that its taken me this long and almost losing you more times than I care to remember to figure out that you are the one thing I should have been focused on. You have no idea how much I love you. I do, I love you more than life itself."

Michael's tone became soft and Fiona detected a hint of fear in his voice. "Marry me."

Fiona had to laugh. She felt as giddy as a little girl. She took the ring from the box and held it up to Michael. "Will you put it on me? My right hand. I want to be able to flaunt it and look at it sparkle."

Michael took the ring from her and went to put it on her right hand, but instead dropped it on the floor. He found the ring and got down on his knee. This time asking "Fiona Glenanne, will you give me the honor of being my wife?"

"I will. Get up off the floor. Your fiance needs a kiss." Fiona said, wiping tears from her eyes.

Michael obliged. Fiona stopped kissing Michael. "You're shaking. Michael Westen, were you nervous?"

"A little. Put me up against any kind of criminal you can think of, but give me a proposal..."

She looked into his eyes and said "It was perfect."

"I love you Fi." he said.

Her answer came quick, accompanied with a smile he had longed to see all those months apart. "I love you too Michael."

Their perfect moment alone was interrupted by Sam walking into the room. "Geez Mikey, I know you missed her, but give her some room. There will be plenty of time for all the love stuff later."

"Like the rest of our lives?" Fiona said, holding out her hand.

Sam laughed out loud. "Took you kids long enough to make it official! Just promise me one thing."

"Anything Sam." Michael said, know that he did owe plenty to Sam.

"Promise me in the wedding you won't make me wear any girly colors. There is no way I'm wearing pink."

Sam's request made Mike and Fiona laugh. Sam felt relieved. After so many months of torture things were starting to look better for everyone.


End file.
